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South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Want to save the planet? Stop being so polite to AI chatbots

Skipping pleasantries like “please” and “thank you” when talking to chatbots could save enough energy to power the annual needs of 760,000 residents in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the massive but often hidden environmental toll of artificial intelligence, according to a new UN report. Released by the Institute for Water, Environment and Health under the United Nations University, the UN’s academic arm, the study published on Wednesday also warned that the true cost of AI extended far beyond...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Hong Kong may host Shenzhou-23 crew in 2027, including astronaut Lai Ka-ying

Hong Kong could welcome the astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 mission, including the city’s history-making payload specialist, as early as the first half of next year, the technology chief has said. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong also said on Sunday that the government would establish a new space manufacturing research centre under InnoHK by this year, focusing on using 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI) to support future space development. “I hope that after...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Firms spent heavily on AI. Now rising costs are outpacing its value

AI is getting expensive – and companies are starting to rethink their embrace of the disruptive technology. Playing by a well-worn Silicon Valley playbook, artificial intelligence companies charged rock-bottom prices to hook customers after ChatGPT burst onto the scene. Kevin Simback of start-up incubator Delphi Labs calls it the era of “subsidised intelligence” – meaning investors were basically footing the bill so companies could offer AI on the cheap. “But the tides are beginning to turn,”...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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HK lawyers can flourish in Central Asia: Law Society

Hong Kong's legal professionals are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the different legal systems used in the city and Central Asia, according to the president of the Law Society of Hong Kong. Roden Tong will be part of Chief Executive John Lee's delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. While Hong Kong practises common law under "One Country, Two Systems", most Central Asian jurisdictions follow civil law traditions. Speaking to RTHK ahead of the trip, Tong said Hong Kong's legal sector could play a "pivotal role" in facilitating investment between the two markets — pointing to a little-known common law enclave in the heart of Central Asia. He was referring to the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) in Kazakhstan that opened in 2018. "They adopt common law within the AIFC," Tong said. "That is quite very similar to Hong Kong." The AIFC features an independent court system whose judges are predominantly from the United Kingdom, creating a legal environment Tong described as "very equivalent to Hong Kong". The president revealed the Law Society has been building ties with the region since 2016, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the AIFC in 2022. "Hopefully during this delegation, on this occasion, we can further explore more business opportunities for the entire business sector," he said. Tong drew parallels with Dubai, where its international financial centre also operates under a common law system — a model Hong Kong legal professionals have already navigated successfully. For Central Asian companies looking to invest in Hong Kong and access the mainland Chinese market, Tong said the city's legal infrastructure offers several distinct advantages. Hong Kong's dual-language capability — English, Cantonese and Mandarin — provides certainty and predictability for international businesses, he said, particularly in dispute resolution, arbitration and mediation. Tong also pointed to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Cepa), where overseas companies partnering with Hong Kong firms can adopt common law in the Greater Bay Area — complete with tax incentives. The recent establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) headquarters in Hong Kong adds another layer of appeal as well, Tong said. The Law Society recently met with Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui and IOMed Secretary-General Teresa Cheng to discuss creating a specialised mediation panel for commodities trading. "This is something that, if at the end of the day, there's any disputes or even in the contractual formulation... Hong Kong legal professionals can actually play this pivotal role," Tong said. Edited by Raymond Yeung

South China Morning Post

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Why MuleRun could be the next craze: new Alibaba AI agent platform promises safer adoption

A new Chinese artificial intelligence agent platform is looking to replicate the “lobster craze” sparked by AI agent tool OpenClaw earlier this year, while avoiding some of the privacy and security risks associated with the open-source software. MuleRun, developed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding, offers a one-stop service for users to access a range of different AI agents. The platform, showcased at the Alibaba Cloud summit on May 20, has been billed as an “always-on AI workforce”...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Chinese tech companies are racing to deploy artificial intelligence models into robots, shifting the battleground for generative AI from digital chatbots to physical autonomous systems. Alibaba Group Holding’s Qwen3.7-Max model, launched last week, features “tool-calling” capabilities that allow the AI model to act as a digital brain to trigger external software and hardware components. The company said the model could be used to control robots by orchestrating physical actions like navigation,...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Hong Kong exports surge 43% in April, driven by strong demand for AI electronics

Hong Kong’s exports rose by nearly 43 per cent year on year in April, driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronics, although the government warned that the Middle East war could cloud the near-term outlook. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Thursday showed that the total value of exports rose by 42.9 per cent in April to HK$620.9 billion (US$79.3 billion), following a 35.8 per cent increase in March. April’s surge represents...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

‘New form of war’: an insider view of China’s AI strategy in electronic warfare

China is rapidly advancing an “AI Plus” revolution in electronic warfare to redefine how militaries communicate, jam and dominate the electromagnetic spectrum, according to industrial experts. In a paper published last month, they argued that by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the very physics of radio wave propagation, China could win a “new form of war” where communications and radars are faster, smarter and far more resilient than anything fielded today. Their findings were published...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Graduates of top vocational school spared brunt of AI impact, new chairman says

Graduates of Hong Kong’s largest vocational training institution have largely avoided the negative effects of AI and could reap more internship opportunities from a coming megaproject, the body’s new leader has said. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, newly appointed Vocational Training Council (VTC) chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung also vowed to review the courses to align them with emerging job opportunities. The government earlier revealed that entry-level jobs for university...

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Want to save the planet? Stop being so polite to AI chatbots

Hong Kong may host Shenzhou-23 crew in 2027, including astronaut Lai Ka-ying

Firms spent heavily on AI. Now rising costs are outpacing its value

HK lawyers can flourish in Central Asia: Law Society

Why MuleRun could be the next craze: new Alibaba AI agent platform promises safer adoption

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Hong Kong exports surge 43% in April, driven by strong demand for AI electronics

‘New form of war’: an insider view of China’s AI strategy in electronic warfare

Graduates of top vocational school spared brunt of AI impact, new chairman says